1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to product display, and in particular to product display shelves having a spring driven pusher to force product to the front of the display.
2. Background
In retail stores, shelves are necessary for displaying and storing products. When a product is removed from a tray, a gap remains on the tray where the product was stored. Trays that automatically push the product forward are desirable so that a customer is always presented with a product and therefore, does not assume that the product is out of stock, or alternatively have to search for the product.
A number of different types of devices are known for automatically pushing product forward. For example, gravity fed rollers allow certain products to advance so that a product is always present at the front of the display. Another example is a spring driven pusher plate where the spring driven plate advances toward the front of the display as product positioned between the pusher plate and the front of the display is removed.
Although spring driven pusher plates are known, a number of problems arise in the implementation of current spring driven pusher plates. One problem is that springs may break or lose their force and need to be replaced. Replacement of springs may require disassembly of a tray unit in which the pusher plate operates. Another problem with spring driven pusher plates is that the pusher plate must be held to the rear while placing product between the pusher plate and the front of the display. Furthermore, packaged food products may require refrigeration. Cold air sinks to the bottom of a space. Therefore, refrigeration of a display area may be impaired during loading of the trays as removed trays allow cold air to settle to the bottom of the display. Additionally, trays may need to be adjustable to accept products of different widths, and adjusting a tray may cause gaps in levels of the product display that impair refrigeration.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus, which takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.